A YOUTH custodial officer has been taken to hospital for treatment after he was allegedly attacked by a detainee carrying a concealed weapon at WA’s only juvenile detention centre.

Labor’s Corrective Services spokesman Paul Papalia said he had been told that the officer was escorting four juveniles into the secure area of Banksia Hill this morning when he was struck on his head several times by one of the youths.

He said the juvenile hid the weapon, which was believed to be a hose, in his trousers.

The attack, which took place at 9.40am, comes a week after three cells were damaged at the juvenile facility.

Last year, around 60 youths went on the rampage, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage at the facility and resulted in around 150 teenage boys being moved to an adult prison in Hakea while repairs were carried out.

A WA Corrective Services spokeswoman confirmed a youth custodial officer had been attacked at Banksia Hill this morning.

She said while the officer had been taken to hospital for treatment, she understood his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

WA Police has been called in to investigate the incident and an internal investigation has also been launched, she added.

Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis said there were currently 161 detainees at the centre, compared to 220 youth custodial officers and that he “didn’t accept” the centre was “crammed”.

“We have the highest amount of youth custodial officers compared to juvenile detainees that we’ve had probably in the history of WA,” Mr Francis said.

“They are the most troubled and diffcult juveniles in the state of WA (and) the safety of the staff is always going to come first as well as the safety of the community.

“We’ll find out how they got hold of the hose and whether the procedures need to change to ensure there’s two or more youth custodial officers when they do the type of movement they were doing last week.”

The incident also comes in the same week a riot took place at Albany prison and a man was killed at Wooroloo Prison Farm.

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